Dexter Story performs his original music “The Afro-Asiatic Suite” with the Bronzeville Union quintet at the Bronzeville, Little Tokyo event on Sunday, April 30. The band features Josef Leimberg on trumpet, Josh Johnson on alto saxophone, Mark de Clive-Lowe on piano, Trevor Ware on acoustic bass and Dexter Story on drums.

The spirit of Bronzeville comes to life with live jazz by The Bronzeville Union (Dexter Story, Josef Leimberg, Josh Johnson, Mark de Clive-Lowe, Trevor Ware), excerpts of the play “Bronzeville” by Robey Theatre Company featuring Nikia Chaney and Clarence “Chazz” Ross, and viewing stations for the VR animation “Bronze, Brass, Jazz”.

CARLOS NIÑO & FRIENDS
Carlos Gabriel Niño is an internationally celebrated producer, arranger, composer, musician, radio host, DJ, music consultant, writer, poet, and event organizer, based in his hometown of Woodland Hills, California. He has been an important force in the contemporary independent music scene since 1995. A prolific artist, Niño has been involved in the production of more than 100 records and has toured with various bands and as a DJ throughout Europe, Japan and the United States. Currently he leads his group Carlos Niño & Friends who are celebrating the release of Flutes, Echoes, It’s All Happening! on Leaving Records.

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Returning for its second season, the Little Tokyo Concert Series honors the intimate, outdoor and natural setting as an ideal environment to experience good music up close. With a diverse lineup of LA’s hottest acts, each night will be a unique and exciting way to wrap your weekends. After selling out each concert last year, we are thrilled to bring this series back to Los Angeles with a fresh line-up, here in the heart of Little Tokyo.

Indulge in sake and soba bar for a taste of Little Tokyo. Visit and experience the magic hours of the summer in great company…

Dexter Story and Wondem band perform at Japanese American Cultural & Community Center – JACCC ‎Little Tokyo Concert Series, James Irvine Japanese Garden on Sunday, July 17, 2016.……………………………………………………………………………………………..
This summer, JACCC presents four, intimate outdoor concerts inside downtown’s James Irvine Japanese Garden in Little Tokyo.

Returning for its second season, the Little Tokyo Concert Series honors the intimate, outdoor and natural setting as an ideal environment to experience good music up close. With a diverse lineup of LA’s hottest acts, each night will be a unique and exciting way to wrap your weekends. After selling out each concert last year, we are thrilled to bring this series back to Los Angeles with a fresh line-up, here in the heart of Little Tokyo.

Indulge in sake and soba bar for a taste of Little Tokyo. Visit and experience the magic hours of the summer in great company…

On his debut Soundway Records release, Dexter Story distills his diverse background in soul, funk, jazz and folk idioms into his own unique and worldly voice. Borrowing from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia, and Kenya, this collection of East African-influenced music is a testament to Story’s decades of dedication to artistic excellence.

Celebrating the release of Dexter Story’s new Soundway Records album Wondem on Friday, October 23 at Blue Whale in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. Dexter and live band play selections from the record and new songs inspired by his recent trip to Ethiopia.

Playing drum set with Ethio Cali for the third and last in the Blue Whale 2014 residency on Sunday, December 7. Repertoire includes songs from icons Horace Parlan, Sun Ra and Ornette Coleman to Hugh Masekela, Segun Bucknor and Charles Mingus.

Commentary: This is a late calendar entry but I want to stress how amazing this show was to play. Todd Simon masterfully arranged the bulk of the spiritual jazz repertoire and lifted our spirits. The highlight for me was performing a challenging Charles Mingus tune.

Playing aux keys, guitar and arranging with Ethio Cali live at Blue Whale playing the nostalgic Tezeta music of Ethiopia on Sunday, November 2.On Sunday, November 2nd, Ethio Cali will play two sets of music inspired by the concept of Tezeta.

Tezeta, an Amharic word from Ethiopia, loosely translates to nostalgia or longing. Tezeta is also one of the popular musical scales found in Ethiopia. Typically, Tezeta is associated with the memory of love lost, or the longing one feels when living far from home or their place of birth. It triggers emotions similar to that of saudade in Portuguese music, duende in flamenco, or the blues in America.

We hope you’ll join us for this special night of Tezeta at the blue whale.
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Playing multiple instruments with Ethio Cali for the first of three monthly residency concerts at The Blue Whale on Sunday, October 5. The band will tackle music Latin-influenced music of Africa.

We’re excited to be back playing in one of our favorite rooms in the city as we kick off our residency at the Blue Whale. On Sunday, October 5th, we’ll be highlighting the history and widespread influence of latin music on the African continent, more specifically, the ways in which clave-based Cuban music and New York Salsa led to the development of vibrant local scenes in countries like the Congo, Senegal, Benin, and Ethiopia.

Amara Toure, Gnonnas Pedro, El Rego, and Orchestra Baobab are some of the luminaries of this genre that we’ll be paying tribute to on this night. we will also have some special guests featured in the rhythm and horn sections.

Playing with and arranging for Todd Simon’s Ethio Cali Ensemble at The Blue Whale in Downtown Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo on Sunday, December 15. Ethio Cali will cross the continent and perform 2 sets of music from 70’s West Africa.

Playing with Todd Simon’s Ethio Cali Ensemble at The Blue Whale in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo on Sunday, November 17. Ethio Cali will play music from the Wax & Gold (aka Semena Werq) period selected by group co-founder and peripheral bandmate Sonny Abegaze. The group will feature a string section for the first time.

Thank you to all our old and new friends who joined us last month for the first night of our monthly residency at the Blue Whale. It was a magical night performing the Mulatu of Ethiopia album with legendary saxophonist Justo Almario.

This month, Ethio Cali will invoke the spirit of ‘Semena Werq’ (aka Wax and Gold) and perform a new set of songs from the catalogues of Hailu Mergia & Walias, Alemayehu Eshete, The Police Orchestra, and other luminaries of Ethio Jazz. Semena Werq is a form of traditional Ethiopian poetry that has one surface meaning, known as wax, and multiple hidden meanings, known as gold. Musicians have used Semena Werk to explore topics such as spirituality, politics, and matters of the heart. We look forward to exploring the many layers of meaning contained within the music we will be performing.

For this performance, we will also feature an amazing string section for the first time. Please join us for what promises to be another special night.

Commentary: The technique of “Wax & Gold” is the basic double entendre structure of Ethiopian poetry where in addition to the obvious meaning of the text (wax) there is also another meaning (gold) hidden within the poem. Qene (or qiné) are the poetic forms used during this interpretation but during the Derg (1974 – 1987), semena werq often enabled singers to criticize the government without upsetting the censors. Semena Werq is used here to group the diverse range of Ethiopian musical expression that we will attempt to play.

Playing drums with Todd Simon’s Ethio Cali Ensemble on Wednesday, October 10 at the Blue Whale club in Downtown Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo quarter. Ethio Cali Ensemble puts a new spin on the music of legendary composer/musician Mulatu Astatqe and other great Ethiopian composers. The band also plays original material and finds trumpeter/bandleader Todd Simon leading an all-star cast of musicians including steel pan player Alan Lightner, bassist/guitarist Patrick Bailey, bassist/guitarist Itai Shapira, saxophonist Kamasi Washington, percussionist/bandleader Steve Haney and drummer/arranger, yours truly, Dexter Story.

Commentary: I play in many bands but very few move and inspire me like this one. Ethiopian music is my obsession and I feel at home in this ensemble. Todd brings amazing leadership and arrangements to the group and I will be showcasing a few of my own arrangements and compositions. Don’t miss this particular show that follows a performance at the Abbot Kinney Festival in Venice 3 days prior. We will be well-oiled and in a venue that “gets it.”

"My commitment is to honor global arts and culture through recordings, performance, academia and empowerment. I hope that my various projects and associations inspire all to celebrate our commonalities and differences as one human race."
~ Dexter Story c. 2016

Please direct all serious booking and licensing inquiries to wondemmusic@gmail.com